How Four Traveled Through Middle Earth
by Angel Bells
Summary: "The One Ring will do anything to return to it's master. It will plant lies in the heads of the weak, it will twist the souls of the gentle, and use the most unsuspected of maneuvers to tempt those who will cross it's path." Partly a tenth walker story, but much more than that. First fanfic, here we go!
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own LOTR, I have not read the books, and this is my first public fanfiction. Enjoy!_

It was strange; Faramir was not one to be nervous over strange noises. He was a skilled warrior and hunter. He was the second youngest son of the Steward of Gondor. He had faced Orcs, and all manner of creatures to protect his city and comrades in arms. But as he approached the collapsed and crumpled form of the young woman before him, he was filled with a scene of foreboding. The feeling did not come from the woman; rather it seemed to come from the very air around the two of them.

Despite his concerns, he was not about to leave an unconscious woman alone out in the wild. He approached her, taking care to not exacerbate her wounds as he rolled her onto her back. Her arms and legs had been slashed, as if by sharp glass. These wounds did not look deliberate, rather as if she had been dragged over a broken window several times. Her clothes were a mess too. There were a few small pieces of glass protruding from the odd top she was wearing. It was made of no material he had ever seen before, and more resembled a man's shirt than anything a lady might wear.

Gently, Faramir tried to rouse her, gently shaking her left shoulder, as it looked to be the safest place to touch. She groaned, and seemed to be trying to open her eyes, but the effort was too much and she seemed to give up. She mumbled something Faramir couldn't here.

"My lady, " he said softly, "Can you hear me?"

She mumbled again though clearer this time,

"Am I dead?"

A gentle smile quirked the edge of Feremir's lips; he could hear the light smile that might have been on the lady's own face, had she had the strength to put it there.

"No my lady, you are safe. I am going to take you to Gondor, you may rest there." He paused here, unsure if he should leave her.

"Lady, I must fetch my horse to take you back to Gondor. Can you sit up?"

"Yes my lord," came the quiet reply, "But slowly…"

He nodded. He carefully helped her into a sitting position and leaned her against the nearest tree. Once he was sure she wasn't going to collapse to the ground again, he stood and turned to head back for his horse, where his brother and several soldiers were resting.

"Wait." Came the girls voice, suddenly, "What's you name?"

Faramir could smacked himself! Forget his name, he hadn't even asked for hers!

"Faramir" he said, "And yours?"

The girl hesitated here, and confusion crept into her face. Was it possible she didn't know her own name? Could whatever have happened to her have been that traumatic?

Finally, she spoke, "My name is Cedyon"

_Cedyon_ he tried it on his lips, and smiled. It was an unusual, but pleasant name.

"Well Cedyon, I shall return in a moment."

He turned and left back to camp. He had not gone far before he heard the loud boisterous laugh that was his brother. He entered the clearing where they had stopped to rest, and the call came instantly,

"Brother!"

Boramir's smile and joy were contagious, and Faramir didn't even bother trying to resist his own. But he couldn't let himself get pulled into a drinking contest or anything of the like, until he had brought back Cedyon.

"Brother," he began, "There is an urgent matter about which I must speak with you."

Boromir's smile never wavered. "Of course! What can I do for my little brother?"

"There is a girl in the forest; she is wounded, and I would wager, in need of food and drink."

Here, Boromir did have the decency to take on a serious disposition, and instantly called for the medical supplies to be brought out, and for the men to ready themselves to return to Gondor.

"Lead on little brother, and will shall see this maiden healed and returned to her family."

The two brothers, as well as Faramir's horse, headed back into the woods. It was as they approached the girl, that the feeling of dread crept in on Faramir again, and if Boromir's eyes were any indication, then he could feel it too. Faramir watched as his brother's hand dropped to his sword.

Ceydon looked much more alert as they approached, and she had evidently wiped some of the blood off of her face.

Boromir smiled the charming, courtly smile he used so often to appease angry nobles, especially their father.

"Hello, my lady. I am Boromir, older brother to Faramir." A hesitant smile was their only reply for a moment, until,

"I am Ceydon. Thank you both for helping me."

"Of course, dear lady; but, my I ask: what happened to you?"

Here again came the confused and scared face she had held when Faramir had asked for her name. He was beginning to suspect a head wound, possibly memory loss. But what had caused it?

"I was with my friends. We were… traveling…I think." She seemed lost in her attempt to recover these events. "I'm not sure where we were going or why, or from where. In fact, I can't remember where I'm from." Though this thought seemed to frighten her, she pressed on in her narrative. "Night came upon us, and we were planning to stop for the evening, when a bright light came out of nowhere. I remember clearly the light coming at us, and one of us screamed. I was so afraid of that light, whatever it was." Here her face crumpled into sadness and agony. "There was pain. And then, there was nothing." She lifted her eyes to Boromir's and the unbridled fear there was painful for both the brothers to see. "I think one of my friends is dead."

The courtly attitude had left Boromir completely. He kneeled down in front of Ceydon and took both her hands gently in his. "I promise you, Lady Ceydon, that I will do my utmost to help you find your friends and to help you regain your memories." The answering smile here was a welcome change from the sorrow of earlier.

"In the meantime, if you will allow it, my brother and I shall escort you to Gondor. You will be safe there, I promise. "

"Thank you, Lord Boromir, Lord Faramir. I have no way of knowing if I can ever repay you, but I shall do my utmost to try."

"Think nothing of it, Lady." Faramir said as he held his horse steady while Boromir lifted Ceydon onto it's back. The three companions, and the horse, began heading back to the camp where the soldiers of Gondor were preparing to return home.

As they walked, Faramir noticed his brother taking sidelong glances at Lady Ceydon, too covert for her to see though. When her face became to contemplative, Boromir, surprisingly, reached out and placed his hand upon hers where they were resting on the reigns. She looked at him, clearly shocked, but pleased, nonetheless. There was unbridled joy in his brother's eyes at her smile.

_Hmmm. I wonder…_

Boromir had never really taken any deep emotional interests in any of the women of the court at Gondor. He would flirt and charm women for fun or politics, but never because he was interested in them for anything more than a quickie. Not that he was unkind in other situation; he was a Son of Gondor, he was chivalrous to a fault! But actively taking care of a woman's emotions was unheard of for Boromir.

Faramir decided he would have to keep an eye on this.

_Chapter two coming soon! And it'll be longer!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I am so humbled and honored by all the reviews I got. I was quite nervous as to what people would think of this story. This is the first one I have made public and I am glad that you enjoy it. I hope this joy will continue as the story progresses!_

Gandalf was mystified. There was no other way to put it. Several days ago he had felt power spreading from Mordor. What it meant, and why it was happening were still unanswered questions. But just yesterday, he felt the power burst. It was if a wave of energy had suddenly spread over Middle Earth and engulfed it. The energy had congregated in four different areas.

One was on the borers of Gondor, not far from the Black Gates. Hopefully it would stay there.

Another was near the woods of Lothlorien. That concerned him greatly, but he knew Lady Galadreil could handle almost anything. Though, he would visit there soon, just be sure.

The third had taken a few hours longer than the first two to form, but had finally settled over Rivendell. He would need to see Lord Elrond soon to investigate.

The Fourth and final shroud had formed a full day after the others, and had disappeared quite quickly after forming over the land of Rohan near the Westfold.

Each of these shrouds of Darkness had take the form of a cloud; unthreatening to the untrained eye. They had all faded eventually and now, there was no trace of them.

Gandalf knew he needed to see Saruman, to ask his advice. There was too much darkness consuming Middle Earth already, what ever this new development was, Gandalf had no doubt that he would be unable to face it alone.

* * *

Isengard was quiet as the lord of the tower contemplated his own master's latest scheme. Temptation was something no one could avoid; Men, Elves, Dwarfs, Halflings, Goblins, no one was above it. True each individual was tempted by something different, but that was of no consequence.

The revelation of other worlds, out there, waiting to be conquered, was perfect. If Sauron took Middle Earth, than that left uncharted territory for Saruman to traverse. He imagined what he would find in these worlds; but knew first he would have to ensure that Sauron won Middle Earth first. And that is what he would do.

* * *

The wind was calm, the sun was shining, the birds were singing sweet sounds, and all seemed at peace in Lothlorien. There was nothing to bring a frown to any face that called this gentle wood their home.

But Lady Galadriel, the lady of light, sat under a tree, confused and afraid. She had seen Sauron. She had felt the malice and fear in him turn to quiet schemes and plots. Whatever had frightened him so deeply was now about to be overthrown, and that brought true dread and fear to her heart.

She had not seen the cause for his fear, but she had seen part of his plot, and she had felt it begin to take form. The feelings of youth, innocence, and laughter were about to be spoiled; there were people who had no knowledge of the war and turmoil they were about to be pulled into. Whatever Sauron intended to do with them, it had already begun. She had felt the darkness increase from Mordor, had seen the dark shrouds as the built near the boarder of Gondor. She had contemplated sending a messenger to Lord Denethor, but the relationship between Elves and Men was already frayed; if Denethor suspected she was questioning his ability to rule, there would be trouble.

It was as she was sitting there, that she felt the darkness again. This time, in the core of her very being. It was close. She stood, eyes panicked, looking all around for some sign of the foe from Mordor. There was nothing. Then she heard it; the sound of someone landing roughly on the grassy slope behind her. She spun ready to defend herself and her home. But what she saw stopped her.

All that was there was a she-elf. There were no weapons on her, and Galadriel could sense no malice, of any kind, from her. The young lass was sitting up, rubbing her head and looking about her in confusion. It was when she was standing to her full height that Galdriel realized the odd clothes the girl wore. They were like nothing she had ever seen before. The girl looked up to see Galadriel staring at her in wonder.

"Where am I?" came the quiet question.

Galadriel briefly wondered to herself why the girl chose to speak in the common language, rather than in Elvish, but said nothing on it, rather choosing to reply to the girls query. "You are in Lothlorien. I am Lady Galadriel. Who are you?"

"I … am…" The pause here was so long that Galadriel began to wonder if the girl was ever going to answer.

Finally she did"… Lirien. Do you know how I got here?"

"No I do not. " It was the truth. Though Galadriel suspected this girl was some how connected to Sauron's plans, she would not base anything on an unexplained feeling. Besides, she surely did not know how Sauron had conjured this girl here.

"Where were you before you cam here?"

"The farthest back I can remember was being on a road with my friends, we were going home. We turned a corner, and this bright light came out of nowhere. There was a lot of noise, possibly a scream, and then, I was here."

Pity was the first feeling in Galadriel's heart. This poor, unsuspecting child was going to be facing toils unknown and suspicion from all who learned of her. People always distrusted outsiders, and she was now an outsider to everyone she would come in contact with.

Well, Galadreil determined to at least give her some contact, some friend in the sea of troubles that lay before her. In this new world, Galadriel determined to be this young _Eleth's _guide and friend.

_I hope this is okay, I'm still unsure of what other readers want, so I'm just writing what I want to read (and experience)! Please Review_


	3. Chapter 3

_This will be longer. Thank you all so much!_

Arwen had heard her father talking with several of his advisors. The Shrouds of Darkness; it was all anyone talked about. The fourth, and hopefully final one, had been seen over the land of Men, in the kingdom of Rohan not four days ago. But just before that cloud, one had appeared not far from Rivindell. So far, there had been no lingering evidence to suggest that anything unusual had happened. Though, Arwen was beginning to suspect that the young she-elf she had discovered during her ride three days ago might be connected to it.

There was nothing evil or odd about the girl; at least not to suggest that she was from Mordor. True, she had lost her memory, save her name, and the Westron, but she was bright, caring, and mischievous. Arwen had taken a great liking to her over the past few days, and hoped that once her memories returned, that the girl would continue to call Arwen a friend.

Speaking of such things,

"Arwen!" The soft whinny that accompanied the call reminded Arwen of her promise. In a fortnight, they were expecting an envoy from King Thranduil in Mirkwood. If there was anything the Mirkwood elves enjoyed, it was riding, and Arwen would be expected to ride with them. Kirith, though, was not to accompany them.

"I'm coming, Kirith." Kirith, it was a lively name, and perfectly fit her.

Since she would be unable to entertain Kirith during the envoy's stay, she had promised to take her riding through the Ford of Riveldell.

Ariving at the gate where Kirith stood with two horses, groomed, sadled, and ready to bolt, Arwen couldn't contain her smile at the unbrideled joy and excitement coursing through the young elleth's body. The she was a bundle of energy, ready to burst forth.

"We are all ready, Arwen." Kirith's horse, Boroth nudged his head against her back, likely trying to calm her down. She reached back and gently combed his mane with her fingers. "Truly, I don't know when it was that I last rode, but I've no doubt it has been entirely too long!"

Arwen stepped forward towards her lovely Roan, Aleth, and watched as Kirith mounted the large Palomino. The two blondes together, horse and rider, would surely make an astonishing sight once able to roam to their hearts content.

* * *

Lord Elrond watched as his daughter, clad in her deep blue riding dress, and her new charge, in a leaf-green dress, mounted their horses, who at the slightest encouragement, dashed through the gates of Imladeris, and disappeared into the trees.

He knew Arwen was beginning to suspect what he had known from the start; this Kirith, who seemingly came from nothing, had come from Mordor. Sauron had some purpose for her, placing her here in Rivendell, and this made Elrond wary of letting her into his household.

But here was something about he. She was so joyful and excited. She had been there only two full days, having slept much of her first day, yet already most who came in contact with her liked her. She was so open and honest and _looked_ so young. There was no foul feeling of darkness or evil in her. Was it possible she was ignorant of her purpose here, perhaps even of Sauron's part in it? If that was the case, he didn't want to be responsible for persecuting an innocent, especially one so much like a child.

He had sent word to Lothlorien to seek the advise of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. He had described in detail Arwen's finding of Kirith, Kirith's subsequent loss of memory, and the disquiet that plagued his heart as to the fate of the elleth.

* * *

If Lord Elrond was sending private letters marked as urgent, then the situation must be getting desperate. Galadriel had felt the darkness over Rivendell, and over Rohan, but as she now began to suspect Sauron's purpose, she was less concerned. She would do what she could to protect Lirien, and anyone else Sauron chose to use as his pawn. .

It was clear that a theme had arisen. Assuming that all the Shrouds had produced females, likely of the race they were presented to, then likely they were to be used as a carnal temptation. For what, Galadriel didn't know. What did Sauron want?

_Oh.. _It couldn't be, but the ring had not been seen. Gandalf had told all he knew, and Gladariel had seen nothing of it. But there was nothing else it could be. The fear that crept into her heart paralyzed her. IF Sauron wanted the ring, and the Valar knew he would do anything to get it, then all Middle Earth was at stake. There had been no sign of the Ring in a great many long, and blissful, years. That could change easily though, and then the world would be thrown into chaos.

At that moment though, Galadriel heard the unmistakable sound of Lirien's footsteps, quiet as they were, announcing that the girl was early to their lesson.

Realizing that she was an elleth that did not speak Elvish, Lirien had immediately begun trying to, in her own words, "acquaint herself with her own language". She was a bright and curious learner, and she took to the language like a fish to water. But Galdriel was still, silently, curious as to why an elf would be unable to speak their own language, but was so fluent in Westron. If Sauron had erased her memories, for whatever reason, why was it that her native tongue did not return to her. Though she learned fast and well, there was no sign of recognition in her eyes as she learned; it was all new to her. This disturbed Galdriel further as she read from Elrond that Kirith did not speak a word of Elvish either.

She was given no time to ponder this as a swift knock came from the door, and Lirien poked her head in. There were several soot marks on her face and hands, likely from playing at her fire pit. The bright smile on her face was also a clue as to what she had been up to.

Within a day of her arrival at Lothlorien, there was no one living there who had not learned of her. Galadriel had immediately taken her to Celeborn, who, though cautious, was very welcoming of her. A few moments with Lirien were enough for anyone to be taken with her. This did not exclude the Marchwarden of Lothlorien, who had been discussing boarder patrols with Lord Celeborn, when Galadreil had brought her in.

To say Haldir was shocked would have been a gross understatement. He was astounded. Lady Galdriel was an amazing and striking lady, and his position allowed him more time to see her than most. But the elleth who had stood before him that day was stunning. Her clothes were unusual, and she looked slightly dazed, but her wide blue eyes, fair skin, and as he would later discover, her strength, all captivated him. She held herself high and proud, but she never let that run away with her.

It was he who had discovered her love of fire. She could sit for hours, watching the flames, adding different kinds of wood to see which would produce the brightest flame, the hottest flame, the darkest flame. She would even throw different compounds into the fire to see what would happen; different kinds of dirt, different stones, anything, to see how it would affect the fire. She would always smile when the fire jumped and danced in response to the new substance. Haldir loved to watch her in those moments, completely unguarded and at ease.

Galadriel was not one to play matchmaker, but it both amused her, and gave her joy to see the two of them so comfortable together.

"Have you been adding fuel to the fire?" Galadriel asked with a smile. She was often unguarded herself around Lirien, and not surprising since she had not been so responsible for one person like this since Celebrian had been with her. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Yes, Milady, Lord Haldir brought me a bit of clay from outside Caras Galadhon. The fire turned blue for a moment, before returning to its natural color." She looked about to burst out of her own skin with the joy of such an occurrence.

"Well, you obviously enjoyed that. But before we begin our lesson today, I would like to ask; have you ever heard of a elleth named Kirith?" If the two knew each other, then perhaps putting them together would provide answers to the many question that were still to be answered.

Lirien, though, looked puzzled. "No, I can not recall ever having met someone by that name before. Should I know her? Does she know who I am, or where I am from?" The eagerness sent her crouching on her knees at the foot of Galadriels chair. Her wild blue eyes were ablaze with curiosity.

Galadriel reached out her hand and combed her finger through Liriens hair, trying to sooth her raging emotions. "No, young one, I do not know if she is aware of you, but she arrived in Rivendell much the same way you did here; no memory of who she was or where was from, and she too was traveling with friends."

"She is in Rivendell? Is there any way for me to go see her?"

"It is not possible now, but I would recommend writing to her. I must respond to an urgent letter from Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. We can send your letter with mine."

Lirien's smile could have lit up the night sky. But it quickly faded, and a shy wince crept up in its place. "Should I write in Elvish?" She had been embarrassed since Haldir had tried to tell her something in Elvish, and she had not understood. He had not been offended, and had calmly translated it too _"Your joy is contagious." _But she had increased her vigor in her lessons since that day.

Galadriel smiled in reply. "No, she does not speak Elvish either." Lord Elrond had not said if she was learning the language of their race or not. "You should ask her in your letter if she is learning Elvish as well, you two may be able to learn together."

Lirien jumped up and rushed for the door, no doubt about to go tell Haldir all that she had learned, before she stopped and turned, "Are we having a lesson today, Milady?"

Galadriel could not contain her laughter at that. This seemed to answer Lirien's question, as she closed the door and came back in.

* * *

Gandalf sighed to himself as his horse steadily approached Rivendell. He did not know what he would find there, but if he had to visit all this sites where the Shrouds had passed over in order to solve the puzzle, he would. He would stop by Rivendell before heading on to see Saruman.

_Sorry this took so long, I've got a cold. _

_So I've got one more OC to go, and then each will get a chapter from their own POV. _


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, this is going to be paused for a bit till I can work out the characters some more. The problem was, I based them all off of people I know, and when trying to write love scenes between imaginary characters and you BEST FRIENDS things get a little awkward. so I'm gonna make a few changes, I'll leave this up for a bit, but I plan to shrink the size of the plot. I mean, following four original characters, the bad guys, and all the mini subplots that would have to come up in a LOTR fic, there was just too much going on. Once I rework it, I'll take this down and post the new one. There will probably be a different title, but hopefully, I'll be able to keep the basic premise, which fro me, centered around the fact that, in the movies, Legolas, Haldir, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, and a host of others who all come into contact with the ring, never really seem tempted by it.

And it was as I was explaining this idea to a friend, that I realized that Eomer, who was going to be a main character, never comes into contact with the ring! And I wasn't going to change THAT MUCH of the story.

I'm really sorry about this for anyone who will miss this, though I don't feel there is really a lot to be missed. I promise to work on fixing all the plot holes that you readers were mercifully unaware of. I will repost this in it's new form. As my old orchestra teacher said, "Not again, BETTER!"

Angel B.


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